The other Side of the Coin
by poachedpears
Summary: Warning! Shonenai! It was all he wanted and more... After the death of his mentors, Lu Xun was left on his own finally to take over under the name of another. He wanted people to know him, he wanted to have people love or hate him. And he wanted that one


**The other side of the coin. **

Battle of Yi ling. 222AD.

_Lu Xun_

In the distance, flames voraciously licked the Shu encampment lighting up the horizon. The battle marks one of the first he did solo, without the help of his deceased mentors: Lu Meng or Zhou Yu. With this, he had taken a big step forward in spreading his name, be it infamy or otherwise. A pleased smile crossed his lips, the sweet taste of victory getting oh so very close.

But the battle was not over yet, he reminded himself. Situated at the southeastern corner, Liu Bei had withdrawn himself past his precious maze into his stronghold, just as he planned with the fire attack. But in order to achieve their goal, they had to act right. The three pronged attack coming from the north, south and center must not fail. The latest report had confirmed that the southern pass was almost taken; with the taking of the central bases, only the northern pass was not. He clicked his tongue in distaste. That place was Gan Ning's and Ling Tong's to take. What was taking them so long?

Glancing to the tactical sheet in front of him, he regarded the situation. The built bridge layers, the 3-pronged attack; and the true distractant in the northern pass. He was unsure that the troops there would be able to defeat the legendary Zhao Yun, thus the number there so as to blind the great general from the true battle. The numbers belonging to mostly two supposedly antagonistic generals of Wu: Gan Ning and Ling Tong.

The thought of young Ling Tong brought a smile to his face. He was, after all, tall, beautiful, utterly loyal and oh-so-very malleable. He thought of the delicious looking lips that he longed for, he wanted to possess. The only deterrent comes in the form of a tattooed general by the name of Gan Ning. The two had been worst enemies, he thought. They were neck to neck until recently he found them lip-to-lip. Knowing the lips had been claimed by another burned him.

He scowled at the many shouts of the soldiers, shaking him out of his reverie. This was no time to think about that; the battle was still on going and there was no news, no reports of the progress about the northern pass. It was unfortunate but he knew the two would be able to take care of themselves. Or at the very least, Tong will survive. The ex-pirate would make sure of it. And what about the Gan Ning?

'Well this is war, and some sacrifices would be required,' he thought.

_

* * *

Ling Tong_

He was stuck here with one person he hated and thoughts of that person stuck to his head, and that irritated him. From the start of the sortie, he'd felt that this battle would be a monumental one. Other than the fact that they're going straight for Liu Bei, the whole thing felt... Wrong.

As he weaved through the crowd, creating headache after concussion, he kept a look out for the rash ex-pirate. It had been hours since he saw the tattooed back or the sheen of the blade. Frankly speaking, he was getting worried!

He gritted his teeth at the little progress they had made. Fighting against Zhao Yun's own soldiers, they didn't quite realize that the soldiers would be flanked by two other generals who weren't slackers themselves. They were really hard pressed against this enemy. "Ch! We really underestimated them!" he hissed. With that he ordered his army to step back and reform the ranks. It was then when he heard it: the bells of the spiky haired man. It was a slight tinkle but it was as clear as day. He turned towards the sound expecting a dark smoldering gaze and a mocking smile.

His retort died in his throat when he saw the limp body of the pirate slamming to the ground, an arrow lodged deep in his back. Horror over took him as he rushed to his side.

"Oi Gan Ning! You stupid asshole!" he cried out but his right was getting blurry. Ning was still conscious enough to respond with the finger. The black feathered arrow had the sickening gleam of death. Poison laced it ensuring death at the slightest hit.

"Shit... Of all things!"

"Hey Tong. Nice to see you here." His voice, hoarse with pain and the deadly fire of the poison.

"Just shut up and let me get..." By the time he heard the deadly swish, it was too late. The dying man had rolled atop him shielding him and receiving another arrow into his back. A quick glance around found him the culprit. The enemy general, Sha Moke, sat on his horse smirking. Tong was about to stand up when Ning spoke.

"Hey... Take care of yourself..." the burly man's lips brushed his as his body gave out.

_

* * *

Lu Xun_

The victory at Yi Ling had brought many a celebratory banquet. Sun Quan having hosted one himself that started at noon and is not yet finished. He shook his head. Banquets like these are mostly a waste of precious gold, gold that could be kept for future campaigns against Wei. Now that Shu was brought to a corner, a pitifully wounded animal brought down, controlled by the chains which bound it. But now was not the time to think about this. He had something to do he thought as he rounded the corner looking for a certain nunchuk-user.

He found his quarry shortly, sitting at the window of his room, a gourd beside him and a cup in his hand. He stared that the younger man, inspecting the deceptively lean body, seeing the almost fragile look to his face. Softly, he slid the door close, the weak thump not even attracting the attention of the usually overactive man.

"I didn't see you downstairs..." He said in a soft voice. Ling Tong started at the sudden sound.

"Oh Xun... I... I didn't notice you...come in..." His voice trailed into nothingness. "About downstairs..."

"I understand. After seeing what Huang Gai did...," He shivered at the memory. "The party would be more lively if Gan Ning..." He stopped seeing Tong's head droop, his untied hair coming in front covering his face. "I'm sorry..." Lu Xun moved to right beside the man, sitting on the window sill himself. The week light of the moon and the hair did not show his face much.

"Gan Ning... If... Ning..." he stopped, startled by the tender hand running through his hair, pulling it back. The face, dirty from dried tears, red from crying, was of pure vulnerability. "Xun...?"

Lu Xun hushed him, pulling the cup from weak hands. Tong did not protest when he began to stroke his cheek, wiping the dirt off the pale skin, finger lingering on the little mole near his left eye. He kissed the man, a short almost imperceptible one. "I'm sorry about Gan Ning... He's a good person... He... died..." He stopped feeling fresh tears moistening his fingers.

"He died... because of me... It's my fault that..!" His tirade was stopped by the strong warm chest and strong arms that encompassed him. "...Xun?" he asked surprised and unsure.

"I understand how you feel. That feeling of loneliness that never goes away after a loved one dies. I understand that." He sighed looking up at the cloud covered moon. "Shortly before I left, my village was terrorized by some gang. My mother was taken ill after being assaulted, trying to defend me. She died later, and I was left alone. But you know... I was and still thankful that I'm alive. You should be too. Because he loved you that's why." He looked down, noticing for the first time that the slight sobbing had stopped. He waited; he knew this was a vital time. The decision had to come from him.

"You know, I never thought any of you strategist ever cared for anyone's feelings, let alone a junior. But at least now... Gan Ning..." Ling Tong swayed slightly. "Whoa... I guess..."

".. You'd better get some sleep..." Lu Xun said softly. Tong allowed himself to be guided to his bunk. As the strategist was leaving, he heard the crickets shrill louder, masking, not blocking, the slight whispers of his prey. The moment that he was waiting for had arrived, he thought as he smiled internally.

"What is it, Tong?" The younger man turned a shade of red visible in the soft silvery moonlight, eyes pleading.

"Don't go... please..."

"Alright." It took all he could not to jump into the bed. But the bait had been cast and caught, so there was not much to worry about. 'Mine... all mine...'

The Other side of the Coin

Complete

7/7/06

Poachedpears


End file.
